Joey Reynolds

9.5

Enjoyed with Alex, Arlene, and Bre — 14 days ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 2019 Opus One shows off the more opulent side of the vintage to great effect. Sumptuous dark fruit, spice and floral accents wrap around the palate, with a fair amount of new oak adding volume and exotic flair. This is an especially showy Opus One that will drink well with minimal cellaring. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2023)
— a year ago

Jennifer F

9.3

Smooth, buttery but not flat. Not too fruity. Would drink again — 2 years ago

Sherry

9.1

Rainy day, brownies and Adelsheim pinot noir — 3 years ago

with jeff

Jess

9.2

Deep ruby color.
Aromas of tomato leaf, black cherry, floral, spice.
Dry. Flavors of black cherry, cocoa, freshly ground black pepper, leather. Rich, smooth tannins.

Intensity: 5/5
Complexity: 4/5
Balance: 5/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 months ago

Vanessa

9.2

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers! — a year ago

with Deked1

Austin Moberg

8.9

On the nose lots of fruits blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry flowers by backing spices, leather, and ground pepper. And the same follows on the pallet. Very dry for me normally not a Grenache fan but this is yummy for sure. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2005 vintage. Almost tastes like it could have been released last week. Super youthful with dark berry and plum blasts. Decent structure but not oppressive. Catching this one just below the top of the bell curve. Hopefully, you’ve got more than one bottle kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown. Other-worldly now but methinx it’s about to get even better. Last tasted in mid-June and same score but this bottle was slightly better. Seek this out-now. — 2 years ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

Bold notes of plum, ground pepper leathery notes with dusty, mouth drying tannins and a medium to heavy body, this was really a good blend for the smokehouse at the resort. — 3 years ago

with Tiva

Daniel M

9.3

After a 2 weeks pause for (very mild) health reasons I thought it would be good to pop a bottle I had kept on the side for such occasion.
Cola, cherry, hay and an irony thing one the nose, very inviting. The palate is superlative. Massive acid backbone, superb juicy cherry fruit all along, great width, soft mouthfeel, a little bit of cherry liqueur on the sides too, ample mid palate with a slight drying effect like a subtle brush and a finish with those same cherry juice and cherry liqueur notes. This is so beautiful... — 3 years ago